While I agree with this statement, I don't think it's always the case. There are so many travel teams now that it's becoming watered down. There are some very talented girls that simply do not want to (or cannot) travel 90 minutes to practice all winter or weekly in the summer for practice. If a team pops up close by, then they have the chance to play on a travel team close to home. We've been lucky enough to live in an area where there are plenty of teams within a reasonable distance, but we have seen some teams that just cannot pull the talent to compete at the level they want to, or if they do they lose them after a year for greener pastures or something closer to their home.
Not bagging on travel ball, but it seems to have been a little better when it was more exclusive. We see so many more "rec travel" teams at tournaments that when my DD was playing 10u-12u. Maybe that's just how it is in the 14u-16u world, I don't know. She's our oldest so every step up to the next age bracket is our first. But the sport is growing quickly, which is great, but it needs to be managed carefully so the kids can get the most out of it.
I agree that there are some good coaches out there, and I certainly did not mean to paint the entire softball coaching population with such a wide brush. Unfortunately, I think it is a somewhat of a common problem. I have personally seen it on more than one of my DD's teams, and I have heard the exact same story from friends that have kids on other teams/orgs.
Look at it in terms of college recruiting. The parent coach can walk up to the college coaches at games and openly "sell" their kids to any school there. As a parent in the stands, you can't do a thing. The parent coach can call and talk to coaches, call ahead before camps, call after and get feedback about their girls. As a parent, you can't do a thing. Back before the recruiting rule change, the parents on one of my DDs teams use to joke that "I wish coach would hurry up and get his kid recruited so then he can start working on our kids". Fact is, that there are some coaches in it strictly to have control over their kids college recruiting. The "staff" of assistant coaches are there to make sure their own kids don't get screwed over in the process. They all know the game.
I keep seeing the "watered down" analogy over and over, but I personally don't believe it. I think when a kid gets a certain age and decides that level they want to play/can play at, everyone falls into their right place. If the end goal is to play at a big college, ie, Ohio State, Indiana U, or out West or South, then you aren't going to find multiple travel team options close to where you are. As a matter of fact, you will most likely need to play for a travel team based out of the state that travels to the big tourneys around the country. If the end goal is to play at a small college in Ohio, then some of the "closer to home" travel ball options may work. The bottom line is, those with the talent, drive, and especially the MEANS to do so will end up where they need to be. Unfortunately, there are many girls out there with the talent and dream, but don't have the means to make it happen, and that is truly sad. We need the varying levels of travel ball teams and tournaments for everyone to find their fit.
I could go on and on about this subject, but just saying what I have already said so far will probably get this thread deleted and my account suspended. LOL.